MNO Blog – Motorcycles, News, Opinions

I am back from Sanford Bikefest. I will get into the details about that flop in another post. For now I want to discuss the ways things sometimes happen.

It was not my intention to start a blog that got into a tragic item as the ordeal surrounding chopper builder Billy Lane. It just so happened that I was in the middle of setting this blog up when the ordeal began. Because I happened to be working on my blog, I made a post about the crash when it originally happened. From there the incident just continued to snowball.

The problem was, out of all the domains that I have, I did not have one set up that I thought this Billy Lane ordeal would fit on. Having such a controversial subject such as a DUI Manslaughter involving someone well known on a blog can be very distracting to my other normal daily to do list. The comments and thoughts that people wish to express in a situation like this contributes to almost a daily task and should be in a forum.

I have a domain that has been mine for quite some time. I was waiting until I had some other projects completed before working on this domain, but with the situation at hand of all the comment posters on this blog, the time is now.

With that said, I would like to announce the opening of Bikers Voice a community for everything motorcycle. A online community where the type of discussion that has been carried out here  can continue. Bikers Voice will provide a two wheeled rider forum where you can hangout online a talk about the things going on in the biker world with others that share your interest.

You are invited to Bikers Voice by clicking here to register for free and become part of the newest online biker community and forum.

I would like to be a journalist. While I have a lot to learn in order to consider myself a true journalist, much less that of my peers. I think it is sad that there are those who are paid to report the news that do not do their job. 

Sure it feels good to get a “scoop” or an exclusive story. I suppose I would feel proud that my editor slaps me on the back and says “hey, good job on that story Mike”. However, I do not have an editor to answer to. My editor is you, the one that is reading my articles, stories and news. The public are the only ones that I answer to, beside myself.

The problem that I see presented is that most of the journalist or news reporters of today are to caught up in just getting the story out. What happens is they have a tendency to rush, naturally, and the article suffers lack of facts. People read these articles and expect them to be factual or at least based on facts. They also expect or assume the articles to be complete and without omission of facts.

Unfortunately, most of the news today is not complete and/or not based on fact. Then you have the problem that many people read just one article and form an opinion based on their reading. Some, become so sure of themselves that they are willing to get into a word fight in a forum based on being misinformed by the article that they just read. “It was in my favorite paper, so it must be true”. Please, steer away from this type of behavior.

The news of today, if you want to involve yourself, has to be researched, researched and then verify that research.

If you are just a kitchen table reader that has a cup of coffee and reads the paper, that is fine. That is pretty much what the newspapers today are worth, a piece of entertainment while relaxing or waking up. This only works if you throw the paper aside and go on about your day. If you plan on reading the paper and taking it to heart as the truth and forming an opinion by reading one article you are headed for trouble. Especially if you plan on voicing that opinion in public, on a forum or blog.

An opinion about facts or an incident is not news, nor should they be mixed.

Most of today’s news papers are based on opinion and not facts. If you agree with the opinionated news that you read, it becomes your favorite paper. Once the paper has an article that you do agree with, you are compelled to do something about it. This is also unfortunate. At this point you either toss the paper in the trash and forget it until the next day or you find something else to read. Some will write to the editor and voice their disagreement and that is good. After all, that is what the letters to the editor section is for. The true problem with the news as it is, would be organization. Truth is that most of the items the papers want to refer to as news should be put in the opinion section. That is what the opinion section is for, opinion and columnist. Problem is that the opinion section seems to overflow into the news.

It is the journalist responsibility to report the facts and to include every amount of factual evidence that can be found on the item being reported.

The news is based on facts. Even in writing, it should be reported as though you are live, on the scene and have a camera in front of you. The news paper reporter has the luxury of not having to be “on the scene” and “reporting live” of having the time to do research into the facts. At times, I suppose, that it can also be a hindrance. If you do actually witness the news, it becomes easier to report. Even at that, there can be things that you did not see that someone did. This is where research comes into play. Gather all of the facts possible and then verify those facts.

I studied journalism in school, that does not make me a journalist. Also, remember, at the beginning of this article I said, I would like to be a journalist. I am, however, not. I am studying and researching the idea of becoming a better writer, possibly even a journalist. I would find it hard though to become part of any one particular news organization, because they all have their faults. So, for the moment, I will do my best, when I do report the news, to make it as factual and complete as possible. I only wish many of the reporter and journalist of today would do the same.

* This article is my opinion. It is about the delivery of news. It is not news nor is it based on facts. I did, however, put it in the news section because it is about news. OK?

Technorati Tags: editorial, news, journalism, blog

I just got back online last night after being down for 3 days, thanks Time Warner.
I recently called Road Runner and asked, for like the fourth time, for them to send someone out to properly install my cable amplifier box. The box is located outside of my home and has been damaged since the 2004 hurricane season.

My mom calls them up and tells them that why they will be out on that date to also convert the cable drop feed to underground. Bad mistake, I have learned from previous experience with this company that you can not add to a trouble ticket and they will not allow two tickets open at once. Consequently, the trouble ticket was turned into the convert to underground instead of my original request.

After these guys have completed the job and are already gone from the property, I sit down to go to work. Turning on my computer ( which I built ) I find that my box has big issues. I run on a dual boot system of XP Home Edition and XP 64 Professional which I run 90 % of the time. So, when I boot my computer it gets to the XP screen loading and then reboots.  Huh? OK, so I try it again and same thing, the system reboots. This time I try to go to safe mode in the XP 64 with no luck. The system just reboots again. I try to go to the XP Home Edition and this makes it all the way to log-in. I log-in only to find that I now have sixteen new PCI devices that no driver will install for. On top of all this I am offline! No Internet and no intranet. I have lost all communication for no apparent reason.

Then I remember the Time Warner service call that had happened earlier in the day. It appears that some voltage must have slipped in and knocked out my NIC ( network interface card ) and did other possible damage to the motherboard. OK, time to get on the telephone with Road Runner support. They determined in s few short minutes that it was not a hardware problem, it was not their problem, so it must be a software problem. They transferred me to Microsoft Support directly. I must admit, I was very surprised at the phone support given by the Microsoft tech. His name was Kevin, we spent almost three hours on the phone trying to determine the cause and fix the errors. Kevin with MS was not going to give up! Even after he had finally diagnosed the problem to the system BIOS and most likely corruption caused by a spike, he did not want to give up.

As directed, I called Road Runner after I got off the phone with Microsoft with a case number. Unfortunately, dispatch notifies me that they will not be able to have PC Tech come out until Tuesday, two days away. I was not happy with this answer at all, but what could I do. The appointment was scheduled, I thought, between the hours of 11 an 3. I was at least able to do minor tasks and play some games that I had not played in some time.

Tuesday finally arrives and I am surprisingly still sane. I await the knock on the door of the cable guy, remember the appointment was between 11 and 3. Shortly after 3:00, when the Time Warner tech failed to show, I was on the phone. Of course they apologized for the inconvenience and told me that they would contact the tech and have him call me. After 20 minutes I called to see if they knew my telephone number. Again, they apologize and say they are checking the status of the technician. I am not quite sure how you check the status of a technician, but they assured me that they would. At 4:45 I called to check on the status of the dispatcher checking the status of the tech that was supposed to be at my location hours ago. This time it was explained that due to the sensitive nature of my computer having damage they would have to assign this to the technical supervisor. I was also told that this technical supervisor would not be able to arrive until the next day. In the meanwhile, Kevin form Microsoft calls me to ask how things went with my service call with Road Runner. I explained to him that my appointment had now been rescheduled for the following day. I was smoking hot!

As I said earlier, I had built this computer. Why would I wait on a tech that was not going to show up and even when he did would not know what to do. I started realizing that this company was not going to cover the damages that they had done anyway and more than likely had a huge damage waiver clause in the agreement. I started to think, that this voltage either continued on through my NIC causing more damage, or burnt the NIC out causing it to short. If it was the case of the latter, then maybe pulling the NIC out would prove my theory. I removed the NIC from my main board and BINGO, back up and running on both operating systems. Because my main board has an on board LAN connection, I plugged in to my network and fired up the computer. I was back in business and back online simply by pulling the NIC out of the system. Computer problem solved but Time Warner still scheduled for service call.

The cable guy calls, on time and says he is 10 minutes away, so I wait. He shows up on time, impressive. He tells me he is here to fix the cable wires and amplifier, unimpressive. It appears the support ticket had now reverted back to my original request. This guy informs me that he is NOT a PC tech after I go through the entire explanation of what had happened. Then he starts to cop an attitude and states that they will not replace any of my computer that has been damaged and that his cable does not carry voltage, it carries dB, so the damage could not have been caused by the cable system. I did a little research on this voltage in time Warner cable and came up with a slew of pages, but two that I found particularly interesting. First of all, the cable guy was right, the signal is measured in dB, matter of fact it is measured in dBmV ( decibel millivolts ) discussed here.

Another page I found rather interesting was where a lady had documented 5 months of problems caused to her television by voltage in her TV cable. So there is voltage in the Time Warner cable that could cause the NIC damage.

At any rate, I had already determined the computer problem and fixed it. So, I went on about my day and left the cable guy to go on about his.

Image of Melbourne Beach no-passing zone

There are still conflicting reports as to exactly where the fatal crash that took the life of Melbourne Beach resident Gerald Morelock happened.
I have read that it happened on State Road A1A near Ballyshannon Street, which would be the view in the image below

Highway A1A and Ballyshannon Street intersection

Reports have also indicated that the impact of the sponsored Dodge pickup driven by Billy Lane and the Yamaha motor scooter driven by the victim Gerald Morelock happened at the intersection of Highway A1A and Windemere Place, pictured below.

No-passing zone on Highway A1A and Windemere Place

All of the photographs here show the area of the crash with clearly marked double yellow no passing zone indication on the pavement. There is a notable difference, however, if the crash impact happened closer to the Ballyshannon Street intersection. Notice that this area is including turning areas marked off for a shopping center and the street intersection.

All images indicate that the Florida Department of Transportation and by way of Florida State driving laws have ruled this entire area unsafe to pass and painted double yellow lines on the pavement meaning this is a no-pass zone. None of the articles that I had read and seen have included photographs of the highway where this tragic crash took place.

Custom Dodge Pickup that was driven by Billy Lane

These images are all the work and owned by Mike Odom. If you wish to use the images, please contact me first for permission as they are copyrighted work.

I don’t like Lima beans or butter beans whatever you want to call them. It does not matter how they are cooked… I don’t like them period.

As a kid my mother used to make me eat at least a few of them! YUK! I swallowed them whole like a pill, washing them down with kool-aid.

Technorati Tags: food, lima beans, kool-aid

We live in a world of fast and convenience. Most of us have a 7-11 of other type of convenience store within a mile or two of where we live. Fast food joints are built and open overnight. Americans like to be able to grab things on the run and it is no secret society.

Occasionally, we have to go to a local super-store just to get a few items. We would like the same in and out convenience of the local 7-11 when this happens. However, this is not always the case. Ever notice how the amount of items in the so called quick checkout have gone up? I remember the day when these lanes were for 5 or less items and cash only. Those days are gone! Today the quick checkout lanes are up to 20 or even 30 items and there are those that think that 40 cans of the same brand of cat food constitute 1 item. The only way that you can achieve a quick in and out few item trip to Wal*Mart is to go at 3 a.m. This is really the best time to shop at the store period. Unless you thrive on the idea of to see and be seen shopping at the neighborhood savings store.

OK, so to the point about the cart racing. Today was one of those occasions that we had to go to Wally World only to get 2 items, carrots and ginger root. These items, of course, would not be available at the local convenience store. We get our items quickly. But now comes the big slow down, getting to and through the checkout. Now today this was quite comical to watch. Cindi, my wife, heads off in the direction of the quick lanes while eyeing up the current lines. I watched as her and another lady were scanning the lanes looking for the best route to take. Both women’s carts still rolling and searching for direction, while each was watching the other out of the corner of the eye. I seen the competitive look and stance that these two took while still moving in search of the quickest way out of the store.

The whole time I was in the background watching this scene, the idea of a new indoor racing event came to mind. Wal*Mart cart racing! That is exactly what these two women were poised for and the race was on. The way that the checkout lanes are designed at a Wal Mart is kind of strange to begin with as they have 2 cashiers in a lane. Just as the thought of the sport of cart racing was going through my mind, I seen Cindi spot a lane opening. It was so comical to watch as they both had their eye on the open lane and you could almost hear the sound of revving engines and squealing tires as both started for the checkout. Funny thing was that Cindi was actually 1 lane over so the other lady had the obvious advantage. I watch as Cindi put here head straight up and pushed her cart in high gear down her lane then crossing over to the next to the open checkout. The other lady gave up reluctantly, but knew she had been whipped by a well experienced cart driver.

Technorati Tags: wal-mart, shopping, humor

Capt. Rick brings my first dolphin aboard

Since my youth, I have loved to fish! As a kid I used to fish with my brothers at a small lake named Lake Osborne in the city Of Lake Worth, where I grew up. As we got older, we started fishing from the pier in the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida east coast.

Then we learned the art of snook fishing off the bridges of the Intercoastal waterway. When I say art, I mean this breed of fish is smart and it truly is an art to be able to bag one. Especially from the height of a bridge like the Lantana bridge. The Lantana bridge was my favorite place to stay over most weekends to fish for snook. Snook is a game fish and is controlled by the Florida Marine Patrol and at the time you were allowed to have 4 fish a day with a minimum length of 18 inches. Gone are those days.

Capt. Rick and my bud Jeff Townsend with his big bull Dolphin

Back in May, my good friend Jeff Townsend took me out for my first charter boat fishing trip aboard the Surf Rider with Captain Rick Marchetti. We had a blast! Jeff and I hooked into a dolphin at the same time. He caught the bull, which is the male of the species and I caught the cow.

We had a good day of offshore fishing

Capt. Rick wanted me to toss mine because Jeff’s fish was bigger. I said no way, I am hauling this thing in, as I started reeling even harder. We were successful at landing both fish plus a slew of others.

Technorati Tags: offshore fishing, florida, dolphin, jeff townsend, mike odom

Exercise, Gym Equipment, Natural Remedies and Vitamins. Health, Beauty and Fitness products for your body and mind. Visit my site http://www.allthingsnatural.info/

My Biketoberfest or Biketober as I refer to it site. I had a little problem with the city and the Daytona Beach Chamber about using the word fest with biketober and had to remove it from all the pages and graphics. You can read more about that in my post remove the fest or face legal action.

www.biketober.com is a great place to get biketober hotel accomodations

Technorati Tags: biketober, daytona, biketoberfest, bike week, travel, hotels, motorcycle events